Age-Group Triathlete Overcomes Chronic Pain To Compete
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Leah Martyniuk, from upstate New York, is an avid cycler and triathlete despite chronic back problems, the result of a serious car accident when she was 16.
This June, when Leah Martyniuk completes the Tour de Cure, a 100-mile bike ride organized by the American Diabetes Association, she will have accomplished more than just a cycling milestone.
The Little Falls, NY, resident is an avid cycler and triathlete despite chronic back problems, the result of a serious car accident when she was 16.
After the accident, Martyniuk said, “my doctors said I had the back of an 80-year-old.”
Despite her back problems, Martyniuk began cycling and, in 2010, set her sights on a triathlon. Last summer, she competed in the Athleta Iron Girl triathlon, an all-women’s sprint distance event held at Oneida Shores Park in Brewerton.
“I really like the camaraderie of that,” said Martyniuk. “I thought it was something that would be extremely empowering to me.”
Unfortunately, Martyniuk, a 30-year-old mother of twin toddlers, suffered a recurrence of back pain over the winter, severely curtailing her training.
This winter, she took four months off from her training schedule for this year’s Iron Girl event.
She was most disappointed about putting away her bike.
Read More: Little Falls Times